Pickled!

Golden queen peaches in the fruit bowl caught my attention – the richness of their colour, their “furry” skins and oh, the taste!  Memories of bottling peaches, plums, apples, pears with my mother filled my mind – it was a late summer ritual in our house, involving visits to the orchards to purchase or pick the fruit, hours of peeling and slicing, and boiling to produce shelves full of colour, sunshine and deliciousness that would be devoured with pleasure in winter. Should you think it was just sweet summer fruit that was involved, no, it was also pickles, chutneys, relish, tomato sauce and spaghetti too.  My aunt went so far as as to preserve beans.  My mother drew a line at that one!  I could complain about child labour, but the family memories, the laughter, the fails, and the results meant that when I went flatting and discovered the rental had fruit trees, I too, as an adult, peeled, sliced, boiled and bottled to produce the same satisfying rows of fruit. After one such session helped by one of my flatmates that ended late at night, we came out into the kitchen the next morning to discover to our horror that our other flatmate had already opened one of our bottles and was devouring its contents.  Words were exchanged, but I couldn’t really blame her, the taste was so good!!

Before you think this is a blog about being a domestic goddess, its not. I no longer peel, slice and bottle – but I do miss the “home made” taste those peaches in the fruit bowl reminded me of.  So where am I going with this? I am thinking how the process of bottling, and pickling whilst keeping the shape and texture of the fruit or vegetable adds to and enhances its flavour. How the fruit absorbs the syrup, or the pickling process penetrates the very heart of the cucumber, onion, or olive. They are marinated in the flavour, softened, and made more edible. It is a metaphor for the way the word of God can work in our hearts and quietly, penetrate into our thoughts, values, beliefs and finally our behaviour in a transformative, life giving way. Jesus was so saturated in the word of God, writes Tim Keller, that it spontaneously came to his mind, enabling him to interpret and face every challenge.  Paul prays for the Thessalonian church “…may the Master (Jesus) pour on the love, so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father ….” 1 Thess 3:11-13 (MSG)

His prayer sounds like the bottling or pickling process to me!  Just as the peach, or the pickle is immersed and floats in the liquid about it, so we as people of the kingdom of heaven are to be immersed, floating in the light, the life and power of the God’s environment, not just for ourselves but also to share this goodness, this kingdom flavour with others.

The delight of my mother’s pantry didn’t just happen. It was an intentional practice. It was “hard work” and took time. A process that we too are called to participate in – the soaking, the pondering, the infusing, reading, of the word of God, with the receiving of the love and the presence of God in every situation.  It is in this environment that we are changed from glory to glory.  We are, “pickled” in Jesus!